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Advanced Report interface showing comprehensive filtering and analysis options

Overview

The Advanced Report is your most powerful analytics tool for deep-dive analysis of machine utilization, performance, and production data. Unlike real-time dashboards, Advanced Report lets you create highly customized reports with precise filtering, date range selection, and time interval grouping to answer specific operational questions.

Perfect for:

Monthly or quarterly performance reviews
Comparing departments or shifts
Tracking improvement initiatives over time
Generating executive reports and KPI summaries
Analyzing specific time periods or events
Exporting data for external analysis

Key Features

Comprehensive Filtering

Filter your analysis by multiple criteria simultaneously:

By Machine/Asset

Select specific machines
Choose multiple assets for comparison
Include all machines in a department
Filter by machine tags or groups

By Department

View department-level performance
Compare multiple departments side-by-side
Analyze cross-departmental trends

By Shift

Filter by specific shifts (Day, Night, Weekend, etc.)
Compare shift performance
Analyze 24/7 operations across all shifts

By Date Range

Custom date range selection (any start and end date)
Pre-defined ranges (Last 7 days, Last month, Last quarter, etc.)
Year-over-year comparisons
Specific event date ranges

By Time Interval

Hourly: See performance broken down hour-by-hour
Daily: Day-by-day analysis for week or month views
Weekly: Weekly summaries for monthly or quarterly reports
Monthly: Month-by-month trends for annual reviews
Quarterly: High-level quarterly performance
Yearly: Long-term trend analysis

Report Metrics

Advanced Reports display comprehensive metrics including:

Utilization Metrics

Utilization %: Percentage of scheduled time actively producing
Uptime: Total productive runtime
Downtime: Total non-productive time
Idle Time: Time between scheduled shifts or unassigned periods

Production Metrics

Parts Produced: Total part count for the period
Cycle Time: Actual average cycle time vs. target
Production Rate: Parts per minute or hour
OEE: Overall Equipment Effectiveness calculation

Time Breakdown

Scheduled Time: Total time machines were expected to run
Unscheduled Time: Time outside defined shifts
Downtime by Category: Breakdown of downtime reasons

Performance Indicators

Goal Achievement: Percentage of production goals met
Trend Direction: Improving, declining, or stable performance
Variance: Difference from targets or baselines

Common Use Cases

1. Monthly Executive Summary

Objective: Create a high-level performance report for management

Set date range

Select Last Month from the date range picker

Choose time interval

Set interval to Weekly to see 4-5 data points for the month

Select all machines (or by department)

Include all assets or filter by department for department-specific reports

Review key metrics

Focus on utilization %, total uptime/downtime, and parts produced

Export or screenshot

Export to CSV or take a screenshot for presentation slides

Result: Clean monthly summary showing weekly trends suitable for executive presentations

2. Shift Performance Comparison

Objective: Compare day shift vs. night shift performance

Set date range

Choose Last 2 Weeks or Last Month

Select time interval

Set to Daily to see day-by-day patterns

Run report for Day Shift

Filter by Day Shift and note the average utilization %

Run report for Night Shift

Change filter to Night Shift and compare results

Identify gaps

Look for significant differences in utilization, downtime, or production output

Result: Clear comparison showing which shift performs better and by how much

3. Department Benchmarking

Objective: Identify which department is most/least efficient

Set date range

Choose a consistent period (e.g., Last Quarter)

Set interval

Use Monthly to see consistent trends

Run reports for each department

Generate separate reports for each department

Compare metrics

Look at utilization %, downtime hours, and production output

Share best practices

Identify what top-performing departments are doing differently

Result: Ranked list of departments by performance with actionable insights

4. Improvement Initiative Tracking

Objective: Measure the impact of a process improvement or equipment upgrade

Define before period

Set date range for 4 weeks before the improvement

Run baseline report

Generate report and note average utilization and downtime

Define after period

Set date range for 4 weeks after the improvement

Run post-improvement report

Generate report with same filters and interval

Calculate impact

Compare utilization %, downtime reduction, and production increase

Result: Quantified ROI showing exactly how much the improvement helped

5. Specific Machine Deep Dive

Objective: Investigate a specific machine's performance over time

Select the machine

Filter to show only the machine in question

Set a long date range

Choose Last 3 Months or Last Quarter

Use Daily or Weekly interval

See trends without too much noise

Look for patterns

Identify recurring issues, degrading performance, or improvement trends

Cross-reference with downtimes

Use Downtimes page to see specific events during low-performance periods

Result: Complete performance history revealing patterns and root causes

Filtering Options Explained

Date Range Selection

Use the date picker to select a custom date range:

Click the date range selector to open the calendar
Choose start date and end date for your analysis period
Apply the date range to filter your report data

This allows you to analyze any specific time period, from a single day to multiple years.

Time Interval Impact

The interval you choose dramatically affects how data is displayed:

Interval	Best For	Data Points	Use Case
Hourly	Single day or shift	8-24 per day	Detailed shift analysis
Daily	1-4 weeks	7-30 points	Weekly or monthly trends
Weekly	1-6 months	4-26 points	Monthly or quarterly reports
Monthly	3-24 months	3-24 points	Quarterly or annual reviews
Quarterly	1-5 years	4-20 points	Long-term strategic planning
Yearly	Multi-year	2-10 points	Historical benchmarking

Choose an interval that gives you 5-15 data points for easy visualization. Too few points hide trends; too many create noise.

Exporting Data

CSV Export

Click the CSV button to download report data:

All visible metrics included
Formatted for Excel or Google Sheets
Preserves filters and date ranges
Use for custom analysis or integration with other systems

PDF Generation (if available)

Generate printer-friendly reports:

Professional formatting
Includes charts and summary tables
Suitable for distribution to stakeholders
Archival for compliance or records

Advanced report PDF generation interface

Best Practices

1. Use Consistent Time Periods for Comparisons

When comparing performance (e.g., this month vs. last month), ensure:

Same number of working days
Same shift configuration
Same machines included
Account for holidays or plant shutdowns

2. Start Broad, Then Narrow

Begin with facility-wide reports, then drill down:

All machines, monthly view → identify underperforming departments
Department-level, weekly view → find specific problem machines
Machine-level, daily view → pinpoint exact issues

3. Set a Regular Review Schedule

Establish recurring report reviews:

Daily: Quick utilization check (Today, Hourly interval)
Weekly: Team meeting report (Last 7 Days, Daily interval)
Monthly: Management review (Last Month, Weekly interval)
Quarterly: Strategic planning (Last Quarter, Monthly interval)

4. Bookmark Common Reports

If your platform supports it, save filter combinations for frequently-used reports to save time.

5. Combine with Other Tools

Advanced Reports answer "what" and "how much." Use other tools for deeper analysis:

Downtimes page: Understand "why" performance was low
Historical Production: Track specific part/operation trends
Assets Overview: Real-time status and intervention

Interpreting Results

Identifying Trends

Improving Performance:

Utilization % increasing over time
Downtime hours decreasing
Production output growing
Action: Document what's working and maintain momentum

Declining Performance:

Utilization % dropping over time
Downtime hours increasing
Production output falling
Action: Investigate root causes immediately (aging equipment, operator turnover, process degradation)

Stable Performance:

Consistent metrics across time periods
Low variance between intervals
Action: Good operational control, look for small optimization opportunities

High Variability:

Large swings in utilization or output
Inconsistent performance
Action: Investigate causes of instability (unreliable equipment, inconsistent processes, training gaps)

Common Questions

Next Steps

Downtime Analysis

Investigate why performance is low

Historical Production

Track production trends by part/operation

Assets Overview

Return to real-time monitoring

Need help creating custom reports or interpreting results? Contact our support team at support@iotflows.com